The Bierzo Edict, also referred to as the Edict of Augustus from El Bierzo and the

Bembibre Bembibre () is a municipality and a city located in the region of El Bierzo, province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2014 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 9,631 inhabitants. The second largest urban settlem ...

Bronze is a controversial document dated to 15 BCE found in

El Bierzo El Bierzo (; ; gl, O Bierzo) is a ''comarca'' in the province of León, Spain. Its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital. The territory of El Bierzo includes m ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

in 1000. The document is a bronze tablet measuring 24.15 cm x 15.6 cm. At the top it has a moulded 3 cm ring. This has been described as a single

edict An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum. Notable edicts * Telepinu Proc ...

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

and as two edicts, one issued on 14 February and the other on 15 February.

Text

::::''Imp(erator) · Caesar · Divi · fil(ius) · Aug(ustus) · trib(unicia) · pot(estate) ·'' ::::''VIIII · et · pro·co(n)s(ule) · dicit · Castellanos · Paemeiobrigenses'' ''· ex ·'' ::::''gente · Susarrorum'' ''· desciscentibus ·'' ::::''ceteris · permansisse · in officio · cog'' ::::''novi · ex omnibus · legatis · meis · qui ·'' ::::''Transdurianae · provinciae · prae/fuerunt · itaque · eos · universos · im'' ::::''munitate · perpetua · dono · quosq(ue)'' ::::''agros · et quibus · finibus · possede'' ::::''runt · Lucio · Sestio · Quirinale leg(ato) ·'' ::::''meo · eam · provinciam · optinente ·'' ::::''eos · agros · sine · controversia · possi'' ::::''dere · iubeo'' ::::''Castellanis · Paemeiobrigensibus · ex'' ::::''gente · Susarrorum · quibus · ante · ea ·'' ::::''immunitatem · omnium · rerum · dede'' ::::''ram · eorum · loco · restituo castellanos'' ::::''Allobrigiaecinos · ex gente · Gigurro'' ::::''rum · volente · ipsa · civitate · eosque'' ::::''castellanos · Allobrigiaecinos · om'' ::::''ni · munere · fungi · iubeo · cum ·'' ::::''Susarris ·'' ::::''Actum · Narbone · Martio ·'' ::::''XVI · et · XV · k(alendas) · Martias · M(arco) · Druso · Li'' ::::''bone · Lucio · Calpurnio · Pisone'' ::::c''o(n)s(ulibus)»''

Translation

"The emperor Caesar Augustus, son of The Divine, in his ninth tribunitial power and

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

, says: I knew from my legates which presided over the Transdurian province ote, this province disappears during Augustus alsothat the inhabitants of the Paemeiobrigensian hillfort _castellum,_it_could_just_mean_a_community_in_general.html" ;"title="castellum.html" ;"title=" castellum"> castellum, it could just mean a community in general">castellum.html" ;"title=" castellum"> castellum, it could just mean a community in general belonging to the people of the Susarri, had remained faithful, while the rest became dissidents. Therefore, I bestow them a permanent immunity and the possession of their land [it therefore did not become ager publicus], with the same boundaries which they had when my legate Lucius Sextus Quirinalis governed this province [historical note, this area was supposedly pacified after the Cantabrian Wars, BC29-19, and this edict is from BC15]. To the inhabitants of the Paemeiobrigan hillfort gain, castellum of the people of the Susarri, and onto which I bestowed full immunity, I restore to their place the people of the Aliobrigiaecinan hillfort astellum of the people of the Gigurri, into the same civitas, and order that these from the Alobrigiaecino hillofrt fulfill all the obligations together ithinthe Susarrans. Said in Narbo Martius (Narbonne) the 16th and 15th days before the

kalends The calends or kalends ( la, kalendae) is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. The English word "calendar" is derived from this word. Use The Romans called the first day of every month the ''calends'', signifying the start of a n ...

of March, being consuls M. Drusus Libo and L. Calpurnius Piso."

Authenticity

An international symposium was organised by the city museum of

León, Spain León (; ) is a city and municipality of Spain, capital of the province of León, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a population of 124,303 (2019), by far the largest munici ...

in 2001 which discussed the inscription and various anomalies including the lead content of the bronze, various textual issues, the two dates and the title given to Augustus.coord. Luis A. Grau Lobo y J. L. Hoyas, ''The bronze Bembibre: an edict of the Emperor Augustus 15 BC: Museo de León'' Museo de León, Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación y Cultura, 200

/ref>

Notes

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External links

Artícle by Mª del Rosario Hernando

description with photograph
''Hispania Epigraphica'' 8
1998 (2002), nº 325, summary of earlier reports Augustus Roman archaeology 1st century BC in Hispania History of Narbonne Archaeological discoveries in Spain